A friend of mine recommended that I read what has become a very popular book intended for Christian men. I’m about half way through the book, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it yet, but the author did make a point in the first chapter that really grabbed my attention. He said he believes that the average Christian man is on average a very good moral man, that he is a dutiful husband and father, a good employee, etc. But that after churches have finished with all that they do to change and improve him that he is then completely… bored!
I’ve thought about this a lot the last few days and wondered, “Are the Christian men at Embry Hills bored? Could that be true of us?” I don’t have to look very far in my New Testament to see that first century Christians did not have this problem. New Testament Christianity could be described in a lot of different ways, but you would never call it boring.
The early Christians had a passionate and genuine love for each other. They met “daily with one accord in the temple” and they broke bread “from house to house” (Acts 2:46). They were “of one heart and one soul” and if anyone among them lacked they sold their possessions to provide for them (Acts 4:32). You read of Gentile Christians (who were poor themselves) who sacrificed what little they had to send to Jewish Christians they didn’t even know (2 Corinthians 8:1-4). These Christians went without, they suffered financial hardship, and might have even gone hungry for a time as a result. Were they poor? Yes. Did they suffer as a result of these sacrifices? Yes. Were they bored? No way.
The early Christians had a passion for the message they preached. What was their message? That Jesus died for their sins, was buried, was raised the third day, and then appeared to many witnesses (1 Corinthians. 15:1-8). With this simple message they turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6), something that many powerful people didn’t appreciate. Enemies rose up against them everywhere they went, but it didn’t stop them. They faced down the religious powerbrokers in Jerusalem with courage and conviction (Acts 4:13). When threatened and commanded not to preach anymore they boldly responded, “we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). For the sake of their message, they lost friends and family members, they lost their jobs, they were beaten and thrown in prison, and some even lost their life. Did they hurt? Yes. Did they feel pain? Yes. Were they bored? Not for a moment.
Perhaps just as compelling as what we see in the New Testament is what we don’t see. We don’t see entertainment, recreation, social programs, and many other things you see in churches today. Their worship was simple. They prayed, they sang, they listened to teaching, and they ate a very simple meal together to remember Jesus’ death. Most churches were small and met in homes. They didn’t offer the multitude of interesting choices modern churches do today. But churches today are described as being bored and New Testament churches were anything but that.
How did we lose the fire? What happened to the passion? Why has Christianity become so dull and lifeless? The answer is very simple. Think about it… We’ve left Christ out of Christianity! In Galatians 2:20 Paul says:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
There are five powerful statements in this verse. Notice how each is rooted in Christ. Paul was crucified with Christ. He died with Christ so that Christ might live in him. His life was directed by his faith in the Son of God, driven by the knowledge that God’s Son loved him and died for him! This Christ-centered perspective motivated Paul to walk away from his former life, his family, his friends, and everything that was precious to him. It drove him all over the world seeking the lost. It caused him to pray for his brethren night and day. It led him to prison, to beatings, to hunger, to homelessness, and finally to death. I ask… Did Paul know who he was? Yes! Did he have a purpose? Yes! Was he passionate about his mission in life? Absolutely! Was he bored? Not a chance!
If you’re bored with Christianity, I want you to stop and think about this. Maybe you think boredom is just the way it is supposed to be. It’s not. It is a symptom of a critical condition. So like any good doctor would do, I’m going to give it to you straight. If you’re bored with Christianity, what that indicates is that Christ is no longer in the center of your life! That’s right, and as you might have guessed, the consequences of that are serious. Open your eyes to what your Savior did for you, crucify self, and let Christ take hold of the reigns. Do that and I can promise you… you’ll never be bored again!
~ by David Maxson